NL East Division foes will clash on Friday night, when the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies open up a series from Citizens Bank Park. Last night, Miami rallied for four runs over the final two innings of a 4-2 road victory against New York. Curtis Granderson connected on a solo shot to put the Marlins ahead for good.
Twenty-three year old righty Pablo Lopez (5-8 4.96 ERA) will head to the hill for the Marlins in this contest. In his last start, Lopez gave up three runs in five innings during a 5-3 home victory versus Washington.
The Philadelphia Phillies have lost six games in a row and have been eliminated from postseason contention. On Thursday, Philadelphia batters struck out 15 times during a 6-3 road loss against Washington. Bryce Harper went hitless in four at-bats and struck out three times in a losing effort for the Phillies.
Hard-throwing righty Vince Velasquez (7-8 4.76 ERA) has been inconsistent for the Phillies this season. Through 113 plus innings, Velasquez has surrendered 25 home runs and owns a 1.38 WHIP.
